Party-backed nominees win 1,840 posts as BRS trails, and BJP records limited gains

xHyderabad : The Congress asserted a strong lead in the first phase of the gram panchayat polls on Thursday, with party-backed candidates securing a clear majority of sarpanch positions. Though the elections are held without party symbols, all major political parties backed candidates, and initial trends indicated a clear advantage for the Congress.

By 9.30 pm, nearly 70 per cent of candidates supported by the Congress were declared elected as sarpanches.

Polling was conducted for 3,834 sarpanch posts and 27,628 ward member posts between 7 am and 1 pm, with counting beginning at 2 pm on Thursday. While elections were originally scheduled for 4,236 gram panchayats, 395 sarpanches were elected unopposed, a

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